Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical device used during a surgery. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a suturing device to close ports made during surgery. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a port closure suturing device that closes a laparoscopic port via suturing jaws carrying a needle and suture, wherein the jaws close in a manner approaching perpendicular relative to the longitudinal axis of the device when the device is oriented vertically.
Background Information
Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive medical procedure allowing a surgeon to operate from a remote location through small incisions (usually 0.5-1.5 cm) elsewhere in the body. The small incisions are sometimes known as “ports.” The surgeon may then insert an endoscope to look inside the body while performing a surgical operation. After the surgical operation, the surgeon must close the ports to prevent further injury at the port site, such as a hernia. One way to close the ports is through the use of one or more sutures. A surgical suture (e.g., stitches) is a medical device that holds body tissues together after an injury or surgical incision.
There have been attempts in the prior art to provide suturing devices for suturing in the abdomen. One such example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,652 (the '652 patent) to Wurster et al. which discloses a surgical suturing device especially for endoscopic surgery. Commercially, the '652 patent covers a device known as the “Auto Suture Endo Stitch” offered for sale by Covidien Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland. The '652 patent provides an operating mechanism including a drive and a locking mechanism operated by a handle. Further, the '652 patent includes a suturing head comprising two jaws between which a needle having opposite needle tips and a central eye is exchanged while being alternately locked with the two jaws, wherein the whole procedure being controllable by a single handle. The needle in the '652 patent has a single central aperture receiving the suture string and two slits formed in opposite ends of the needle. The slits are not completely bound, but rather have a general U-shaped cross section.
The movable jaws in the '652 patent are supported on a shaft including a shaft tube. The jaws are operated by means of operating rods which are linked to the jaws at joints. The operating rods are combined further in the back and are actuated together by a push rod. Both jaws are identical and have a longitudinally extending bore receiving the locking pin. When the handle is released, cams remain in place. When the jaws are opened, a thick end portion of the pins slide along the respective front end faces of slide members which are shaped so that the pins remain in position relative to the respective jaws. This allows the needle to remain locked in the needle guide in which it is engaged at that point so that it cannot fall out. The '652 patent further discloses an articulated joint allowing the jaws to pivot such that they are generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the endoscopic stitching device. While the '652 patent appears to have a shaft that can be curved or bent to approximate a perpendicular angle relative to the shaft, it is a large curve and takes up a significant amount of space. This bend length is greater than the diameter of most incision ports. Because of this it appears to be impossible to close a small laparoscopic incision with the device disclosed in the '652 patent.